Calculate the total hours and minutes between a start time and end time, including overnight shifts that cross midnight.
This tool calculates the total number of hours (and minutes) between two times, or adds/subtracts a duration from a given time. It's commonly used for tracking work hours, calculating pay based on hourly wages, planning schedules, or figuring out how long an event or task will take.
The calculator takes a start time and end time and computes the elapsed duration, correctly handling cases where the end time crosses midnight into the next day. It can also convert the result into decimal hours (useful for payroll) rather than hours and minutes.
Enter your start time and end time, and the calculator returns the total duration in hours and minutes, along with a decimal hours equivalent if needed for timesheets.
Example 1: From 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes, or 8.5 decimal hours.
Example 2: From 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM (overnight shift) is 8 hours, correctly calculated across midnight.
Why do I need decimal hours for payroll? Most payroll systems calculate pay using decimal hours (like 8.5 hours) rather than hours and minutes (8 hours 30 minutes), since decimal format is easier to multiply directly by an hourly wage.
How is 30 minutes converted to decimal? 30 minutes equals 0.5 hours, since 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5; similarly, 15 minutes is 0.25 hours and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.
Does this handle overnight shifts correctly? Yes, if the end time is earlier in the clock than the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crosses midnight into the next day.
Can I subtract a break or lunch period? Many hours calculators allow entering an unpaid break duration to subtract from the total worked time — check the specific fields available.
What's the difference between elapsed time and scheduled time? Elapsed time is the actual duration that passed, which is what this tool calculates; scheduled time refers to planned start/end times which may differ from actual clock-in and clock-out times.